Frederic Lee, Agenda, September 29, 2025
America’s corporate top brass sounded an alarm this month over President Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, according to polling from the Yale School of Management Chief Executive Leadership Institute’s CEO summit.
Some 80% of the CEOs who attended the summit said Trump was not acting in the best interest of the country in doing so.
Some 71% said Fed independence had been eroded by the Trump administration’s actions….
Experts suggest these moves could degrade trust in official data, ultimately destabilizing business. Boards rely on accurate forecasts from the Fed, BLS and other agencies to plan investments and chart the businesses they oversee along the right paths.
However, there are numerous tactics that board directors can implement in order to stabilize their businesses in times of uncertainty — and avoid a crisis of trust, sources tell Agenda.
When the legitimacy of independent institutions such as the Federal Reserve and BLS come under attack, it can be disorienting, but one tool that directors can apply is to scenario plan, said Davia Temin, president and CEO of reputation and crisis management consultancy Temin and Company Inc.
Coming up with five to 10 different possible scenarios helps companies to mentally prepare for the unknown in wake of a potential lack of credible information, said Temin. When business leaders lack access to reliable insight and data, they can’t make informed decisions, and the role of the board is to make the most highly informed decisions possible, she added. […read more]